Month: April 2015

If you’re looking to relocate to the South West and buy a smallholding, farm or property with land you’ll have plenty to think about. Having taken your journey (from a 240 acre beef farm 40 minutes from London to our 350 acre farm on the edge of Dartmoor where we live today) with my husband and children a little over 10 years ago, I wanted to take a look at some of the issues we faced and how a local expert could have helped us throughout the process.

Are you fully up to speed with agriculture or farming?

Many of the people moving to the South West looking for their own slice of the rural dream won’t be coming from a farming background, and may not have any experience at all.

With our experience in agriculture (my husband is a qualified agricultural lecturer and has been farming for decades), we’re able to help those people looking to take the plunge into the good life and explain any pitfalls they mightn’t of thought of, and find the opportunities they otherwise may not have.

Do you know exactly what you need, or indeed, what you’re looking for?

If you’re not familiar with farming, do you know what you’re looking for and where you should be looking? Smallholdings differ significantly from farms, as do properties with land. The type of land will also depend on the type of livestock you’ll be keeping on it; will it be sheep? Cattle? Or even Alpacas?

We’re able to guide you, set criteria for your search and find the perfect land for your objectives.

Time – where do you find it?

It takes time to move and it definitely takes time to make sure you get it right. With the property market being as competitive as it is in the South West you can benefit from someone being consistently on the case for you; making sure you’re one of the first to see those perfect finds coming on to the market, rather than the last.

Moving to a new area – how do you know the lay of the land?

Devon and Cornwall are massive areas, each with many unique spots on which you could lay your agricultural cap. We’ve been living and farming in the area for more than 10 years; we know the areas you should be looking at, and also the ones that wouldn’t be right for you.

When you live a distance from your search tapping into local knowledge is vital.

How do you rule out options when viewings are a real time commitment?

Viewings, when they’re near to where you already live aren’t a problem, but what if you’re currently living more than 200 miles away from the West Country? View the wrong places and you could give up a whole weekend and a lot of money.

We’re able to pre-vet properties, making sure you’re not racking up miles you don’t need to. We can also arrange the viewing day for you, allowing you to see the very best there is to offer in one single trip; something we would have loved during our many long trips in the car!

Lower your stress levels!

This may be the biggest move of your life; it will be stressful but we can help you get to where you want to be going, provide you with the support you need to find the best possible option, and to enjoy your new life in the South West.

With more and more people looking to move to the South West of England and enjoy all of the benefits of the rural lifestyle, we take a look at why people are taking the plunge and buying a smallholding or farm, and really living the West Country Dream!

Key Facts about where we live:

18% (some 9.3 million people) now live in areas of the UK officially classified as rural.

More than half of those living in a rural area are over 45 years old.

Property prices are on the up in the South West, having risen by a reported 5% in the past year.

What you get when you get here:

Beautiful Coastlines; 450 miles of coastline to be precise!

A healthy lifestyle; 81% of people in Devon are classified as being in very good or good health.

Quality schools; 85% of schools in Devon are rated as ‘outstanding’ by OFSTED.

A recent survey conducted by Country Life Magazine ranked Devon as the best place to live in the entire UK. With more than 22,000 people moving to rural areas of the UK each and every year it appears plenty of us agree with their findings!

What can you get for your money?

We’ve taken a look at just how far £1,000,000 will get you in the South West of England and compared it to the London property market. You may be surprised at the difference between the two; the South West looks like great value!

What you get for £1m in London

2 bedroom apartment

660sq.ft of internal floor space

A stones throw from Battersea Power Station

What you get for £1m in Devon

4 bedroom Grade II Listed 16th Century Property

5 holiday cottages

4.5 acres of land

For more information on how West Country Dream can help you realise your dream of moving to a smallholding, farm or property with land in the South West of England please take a look around our site or call Helen Garrett on 07816 514667.

A husband and wife team are using their extensive knowledge of agriculture to provide those looking for their own slice of the West Country dream a unique opportunity to see exactly what they’ll be getting.

West Country Dream, set up by Helen and Murray Garrett, brings together a unique combination of a farm, self-catering cottage and a number of agricultural courses for those considering moving to the region in the hunt for the good life.

Helen explained, “Around 10 years ago we took the decision to relocate to the South West from our farm in the Home Counties. This process took over a year to complete, involved hundreds of miles of travelling as well as a number of logistical hurdles and headaches. We know that many people look to move to the South West, whether they are already in agriculture or looking to purchase their first smallholding, and we wanted to make this process easier and simpler for them to achieve.”

The business offers a complete property search and selection service, calling upon their own farming experience in identifying the best-suited smallholdings and property with land on the market.

Helen continued, “There are three things we want to help reduce for those looking to relocate; mileage, time and stress. By ensuring we’ve already seen the properties before our clients’ visit we can make sure that they’ll only view ones that could be the perfect home.”

Those on the hunt for rural property with West Country Dream won’t be left in the local hotel; the business has a self-catering holiday cottage on their farm and encourages those looking to test the water to enjoy one of their taster packages.

“We realise that not everyone looking to find a smallholding in the South West will already have farming knowledge. With the holiday cottage on site and Murray’s experience as a qualified agricultural lecturer we thought it was the ideal opportunity to give people the chance to get involved with farming life and learn at the same time.”

For more information about West Country Dream please call Helen Garrett on 07816 514667